


Redefining the Power Couple: A Monster Hunter World Story

by Literary_Dominatrix



Category: Monster Hunter (Video Games), Monster Hunter: World - Fandom
Genre: F/F, LGBTQ Character, LGBTQ Female Character, Mild Blood, NSFW, Original Character(s), Sex, dragon - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-14
Updated: 2019-11-13
Packaged: 2021-01-30 12:13:29
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,987
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21428035
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Literary_Dominatrix/pseuds/Literary_Dominatrix
Summary: A story of two guild hunters - Elliana and Violet - as they navigate their relationship of love, sex, and commitment while fighting and investigating massive and powerful elder dragons. An LGBTQ F/F story with badass fights, badass women, and badass dragons.
Kudos: 10





	Redefining the Power Couple: A Monster Hunter World Story

Gray sand sprayed into the air as Ellie skidded down the gradual incline of the clifftop. She grabbed onto a passing coral shelf and swung herself around into a crouch, narrowly avoiding the glistening shards of ice that were exploding in her wake. An echoing scream ripped through the air as the ragged Legiana that pursued her scanned the brush for its prey.

“Where the hell is she at?” Ellie muttered under her breath as she quickly ran her whetstone over the blade of her glaive. “Am I supposed to bring thing down with just you, Skitters?” She snapped, glaring at her palico companion who was currently attempting to pry shards ice out of his paws. He glanced up at Ellie's question and opened his mouth to respond, but was cut off by another screech from the monster soaring overhead. Ellie didn't have to look up to know she had been found.

She lunged forward, scooping Skitters up as she went, and glanced down at the large white moth latched onto her arm. “Hey sweetheart,” She cooed as she heard the coral shelf behind her crumble from the wyvern slamming into it. “Think you can bring that nasty boy down here for me?” The moth twisted its head slightly as it spread its iridescent wings.

The Legiana began to inhale, chilling the air, and Ellie threw herself forward to escape the blast. She twisted in the air and slung the kinsect towards the wyvern as she did. The moth's wings beat forward into a white blur as it raced towards the cream colored hide of the Legiana's chest.

She watched in awe as the moth dexterously tore across the Legiana's body, forgetting for a moment that she had been avoiding an attack. The mewling cries of her palico brought her back around, but it was too late – the white blast of the Legiana's ice wind whipped across her body, throwing her backwards into a wall and coating her in ice.

Mercifully, the attack was cut short as the moth arched around the wyvern and cut across its neck. A spray of deep blue blood splattered across the inside of its leathery wing, drawing a gurgled scream from its throat as it turned to follow after the kinsect. Ellie sighed in momentary relief and brushed the accumulating frost off the shimmering blue and white plates of her armor. She began circling below the Legiana as the moth danced around it, honing in on the central joint of its wing. As soon as she saw the moth's wings lay flat, Ellie slammed the flat end of her glaive into the ground, launching herself into the air.

Frigid air roared in her ears as she spun through the air. Flecks of white and sheets of navy blurred below her as she oriented herself above the Legiana. As she approached the apex of her leap, she raised her glaive overhead. With trained precision, she swung her glaive down towards the Legiana. She plummeted blade first towards the membrane of its left wing. She could just make out her moth keeping perfect pace, headed straight for the joint of the right wing.

Both hunter and kinsect tore through each wing simultaneously, causing the wyvern to scream in pain as it tumbled out of the sky. Ellie slammed her glaive into a nearby cliffside, bracing herself against the wall as the monster crashed to the ground, filling the air around it with a thick cloud of ice and dust. Ellie panted and watched as the Legiana twisted on the ground, staining the pale sand underneath a deep navy color as blood poured from its body. Her moth fluttered carefully through the air back towards its perch on her arm, and Ellie could just make out the form of Skitters soaring through the air towards her, dangling from the bulbous form of a vigorwasp.

“This would be a lot easier with two people” she muttered, as she watched the Legiana starting to get up once more. “Where could she possibly-”

“I'm here!” A deep alto voiced boomed overhead as someone launched themselves off the cliff edge towards the wyvern below. Ellie watched as the hunter spun through the air, angling towards the back of the Legiana. The monster, on the other hand, seemed to not notice this new opponent, as its eyes were fixed on Ellie's dangling form. It reared up, ready to send another blast of ice her way, but was interrupted as the other woman slammed into its shoulder. The wyvern screamed as the hunter twisted and spun all the way down its back, sending scale, muscle, and sinew flying in her wake.

She slid off its tail, and immediately lunged forward, sliding on her back as she raked her daggers across the softer underside of the beast. Sparks flew in every direction, engulfing its underbelly in flame. The wyvern cried out in pain and bent its head to peer under itself for the source of the attacks. As soon as its head was in sight, the hunter slammed her daggers into either side of its jaws and twisted them into the bone. The Legiana screamed as flames ripped through its body and staggered backwards. It attempted to swing the woman loose with a vigorous head shake, but she used the momentum to swing herself onto its head, gripping it with her knees. The hunter was relentless and wrenched her daggers upwards into the wyvern's hard palate.

Ellie winced as she heard a loud crack echo through the air. The Legiana let out a final whimper before falling to the side. The hunter rolled off of the beast as it collapsed, standing just in front of its unmoving form. She sheathed her blades across her back and turned to grin up at Ellie.

“Well that wasn't so hard. I don't see why you needed me for that.” Ellie pursed her lips as she braced her feet against the wall and attempted to dislodge her glaive.

“Easy for you – I already did most of the work!” She grunted as struggled to remove the glaive from the cliffside. While she appreciated how firm it had been when she needed to catch herself, it was making it difficult for her to chastise her companion. She heard footsteps crunching in the sand below her, and glanced down to see the woman was now at the base of the cliff, watching her struggle.

“Stuck?” She asked with a grin. Ellie huffed and pulled harder.

“No! I just-” before she could finish her retort, the glaive slipped free of the cliff and she was falling backwards. She felt herself yelp involuntarily as she tumbled down and braced herself for the abrasive impact of the ground below.

Instead of sand, however, she found herself in the leather and bone clad arms of the hunter. Ellie's mouth continued to hang open, although no sound was coming out, as she eyed the well toned muscles of the arms that had caught her. Her eyes slowly traveled up woman's form, drinking in the exposed tan skin, until she found herself looking at smirking red lips.

“Enjoying the view?” She asked, practically purring. Ellie snapped her mouth shut and wiggled herself free.

“Oh hush. I was... checking to make sure you were okay. You should really wear more armor Vi - how is that supposed to protect you if you get hit?” Ellie reprimanded the woman, looking down to dust herself off and hide the growing redness of her cheeks. Vi snorted and placed her hands on her hips.

“I don't get hit” She said flatly. Ellie opened her mouth to argue, but quickly shut it again. As much as she hated to admit it, it wasn't arrogance. Well... not _just_ arrogance. Vi was a pretty skilled hunter, and rarely if ever took hits from the monsters on their hunts. She settled for a simple huff and stormed towards the Legiana, ignoring the chuckles from Vi that followed after her.

She crouched down by the slack jaw of the beast and began carefully separating the hide from the muscle. Vi was humming softly as she began removing the claws from its hind feet. They worked in that near silence for a time, collecting the various pieces they could salvage until the stench of carcass was too much to handle. They began the trek back towards camp, the twilight sun glistening off their armor.

“Did you get all the hide you needed?” Vi asked.

“Yeah.”

“Think you'll finish your glaive tonight?”

“Maybe.” She didn't turn to look, but heard Vi's footsteps stop.

“Are you really that upset with me?” The question was spoken softly, but Ellie heard it. She sighed and turned around.

“I just... don't like it when you run off on your own. Especially when we came out here specifically to do this together. I mean – what were you even doing?”

Vi winced slightly, and she bit her lip before twisting to untie something from behind her. She turned back around holding an opaque netted sack in her hand that was writhing slightly. Ellie eyed the sack curiously as she reached out for it. She gave Vi a questioning look before slowly untying the cords holding it shut.

“What is...” she gasped as she pulled the bag open and saw the serpentine body of a wiggler. She had seen plenty of course, but this one had a beautiful pale orange head – a wiggler queen. They were incredibly difficult to find and catch.

Ellie looked up at Vi, who had averted her eyes and was staring at the ground. “I... saw one as I was headed to meet up with you and I knew you wanted one so I was trying to-” she was cut off as Ellie threw her arms around her, hugging her tightly.

“I love it. Thank you.” Ellie murmured happily. Vi chuckled warmly and slid her arms around Ellie's waist.

“So you're not mad at me anymore?” Vi asked. Ellie pulled back with a mischievous grin on her face.

“Mmmm, I don't know about that... you might need to make it up to me later” Ellie wiggled her eyebrows suggestively. Vi grinned back as she pulled Ellie closer.

“Oh? I think I can handle that.” she murmured as she leaned in, allowing her lips to graze along Ellie's exposed neck. She immediately pulled back, her face scrunching up as she retched. “Auch, what are you covered in?” Ellie frowned and started to look down at herself before she saw the moth perched on her arms shake its wings slightly, sending a fine layer of reddish dust cascading over her armor. Ellie giggled and looked up at Vi, who still had a look of disgust on her face.

“Sorry. Sudee here got some dust on me.” Ellie said. Vi's lips tightened into a thin line as she glanced down at the fuzzy white moth. She sighed and released Ellie's waist.

“I guess I'll just have to wait until after you've cleaned up then.” She said wistfully. Ellie giggled once more and scratched the moth lightly on the head as Vi loaded something into her slinger. She aimed at a coral tree branch high above them and shot a thick cable towards it. She heard the clawed end of the cable sink into the coral with a satisfying thud, and began climbing up. Ellie quickly followed after, a faint smile plastered to her face as she watched the glowing blue medusos float listlessly around them.

They reached the top of the tree just as the sun began sinking below the horizon. Vi squinted as she looked across the landscape, gauging the distance back to camp.

“Did you leave anything important at the campsite?”

“Just the handler,” Ellie responded absently, enjoying the scenic view.

“So no,” Vi brought her fingers up to her mouth and let out a sharp whistle. Within seconds a wingdrake was gliding overhead, and she caught hold of the leather strap dangling from its large, clawed foot. Ellie bit her lip in attempt to keep a straight face.

“Now that's not fair – we can't just leave her!”

“Sure we can. It's a commission campsite – she can get back easily and knows to head back at dark anyway. It's just a waste of our time to trudge all the way there,”

Ellie forced down the giggle that threatened to slip out as she took hold of the leather strap as well, her face inches from Vi's. “You just don't like her.”

“I'm not denying that,” Vi said as she held her hand out to the palico that was attempting to hop up with them. “But it has nothing to do with this conversation.” Ellie carefully wrapped her free hand into the straps on the front of Vi's armor, holding herself close as the wingdrake began to fly them back towards Astera.

“I just think that you go to a lot of trouble to avoid having to be around her, and if you just sucked it up and came to camp like me, maybe you wouldn't have been late to fight the Legiana.”

“I also wouldn't have gotten that wiggler for you, so I'd say it balances out.” The giggle Ellie had been holding back broke loose in the form of a wholehearted laugh. Vi watched as her tears threatened to spill from her eyes as she laughed.

“You're beautiful when you laugh,” Vi murmured so softly that Ellie almost missed it. She smiled warmly as her laughter subsided, and rested her forehead against Vi's as they flew through the air.

-

The familiar clang of armored boots on the workshop's metal floor brought a smile to Vi's face. She breathed in the smell of the smoke and let the heat of the furnace wash over her sweat-slick skin as she pulled her helmet off. She approached the smithy just as her new blades rumbled out on the conveyor belt.

“You're just in time Violet!” The smithy's voice rumbled over the roar of the flame and the pounding of metal hammers. “I have to say. This might be my finest work yet.” Vi felt her lips curl into a grin as she lifted the curved blades up. They looked almost like two large horns, each one with a heavy chain running from the thick base to the narrow point at the end. Bright red markings from the Deviljho's hide ran along the underside, giving off an almost living heat. Bleached bone jutted out from every angle, giving them a predatory edge. The smithy stood to look them over as well, wiping sweat from the top of his balding head. “I call them 'Wrathful Predation'.” Vi snorted.

“Seriously? I think I preferred the last ones - 'Wrath and Rancor' was a better name.” The smithy huffed.

“Then you can have them back – I'm sure they're still laying around someone in bits and pieces,” he grumbled as he began to hobble towards a nearby pile of scrap. Vi laughed as she slung the blades over her back.

“I'm just messing with you, old-timer. They're perfect. Thank you.” He grunted in response as he took his seat once more.

“Did you get the hide you needed? I can get Elliana's glaive fixed up by the morning if you have it.” Vi nodded and turned to find Ellie. She saw her leaning over the armory counter, inspecting an armor set designed to mimic the appearance of a butterfly. It was cute, although a bit too camp for her taste.

“Ellie! You have the hide right?” Ellie nodded absently, running her fingers over the delicate patterns in the armor. Vi sighed and trudged over, each step punctuated by a sharp clank from the ground underfoot. “Ellie!”

She jumped as Vi pulled her upright, digging into her bag. “Ah! What?!” Ellie cried as Vi pulled out the roll of Legiana hide and waved it in her face.

“Did you want to fix your glaive or not?” Vi snapped. Ellie blushed and looked to the side.

“A-ah. Yes, sorry... I was distracted.” She stammered, glancing back towards the armor. Vi just shook her head and headed back over to the smithy, who was chuckling at the exchange. “Isn't this cute though?” Ellie called after Vi.

“I suppose,” Vi handed the roll of hide to the smithy and pulled her coin purse off her hip. “How much?”

“For an upgrade to the Freeze Gale? Thirty two thousand zennie.” Vi winced, and after a moment pulled a number of larger silver coins from the bag. She sighed and weighed the bag in her hand, disappointed at how light it was feeling.

“I think I might get it,” Ellie had continued on, oblivious to the exchange. Vi replaced the coin purse as the smithy headed off, and turned back to her.

“It's worse than what you... have...” her words trailed off as she watched Ellie leaning far enough over the counter that her feet no longer touched the floor. She was stretching to check the price of the armor set, causing the armored pieces over her hips to ride up, exposing her soft, creamy white skin. Vi felt something in her stomach tighten as she watched the pale blue fabric below her greaves slide further down, exposing Ellie's thighs further. She bit her lip to hold in a growl as she stalked over.

“I know its worse, but-” Ellie was cut short as Vi pulled her back over the counter and slung her over her shoulder. “Wha- hey! I was looking at that!”

“And I was looking at you,” Vi's voice had grown huskier and Ellie flushed as she felt Vi's hand wrap around the back of her exposed thigh, squeezing softly.

“D-don't,” she whimpered, squirming in Vi's grasp. “People can see.”

“Then I'll have to get us back quickly.” They were already outside of the workshop, and Ellie shuddered as the cool night air washed over flush skin. She attempted to straighten herself up, grabbing a fistful of Vi's long red hair to pull herself up with. This just elicited a throaty growl from Vi who moved her hand further up Ellie's thigh, grasping just below the curve of her ass. Ellie whimpered again, squeezing her legs together and falling back between Vi's shoulder blades as they reached the lift.

Ellie felt herself shiver once more as they were whisked along the running chain towards the Celestial Pursuit, the large ship perched on the peaks above them, where their private room was located. Within moments they were headed across the deck, the raucous sounds of hunters enjoying food and drink before heading to the arena filling the air around them. Ellie couldn't help but feel as though every one of them was watching her.

“I could have walked you know,” her voice wavered more than she would have liked. Mainly with embarrassment, but she would be lying to herself if she said it wasn't also out of anticipation.

“You could have,” Vi's words were murmured against the outside of Ellie's thigh as she nuzzled her cheek against her. “But this was more enjoyable.” Ellie opened her mouth to protest more, but Vi had already gotten the door open and was tossing her onto the bed. Vi let her eyes travel over Ellie's sprawled form on the plush bed as she kicked the door shut behind her. The moonlight from the garden filtered in through sheer curtains around the bed, washing her in a silver glow. Vi walked slowly towards the bed, allowing pieces of armor to fall in her wake.

-

Ellie's breaths were short and fast. She watched light and shadow dance across Vi's body – the muscle of her toned stomach, the curve of her supple breasts. She felt her breath catch as Vi reached the bed, and began crawling towards her. Hunger gleamed in her emerald eyes, and Ellie was melting under her gaze.

She bit her lip, growing more flush as she maintained eye contact, unable to bring herself to break it. Vi held her gaze steady as she lowered herself, allowing her full, red lips to hover over the sensitive skin of Ellie's inner thigh. A soft whimper escaped Ellie's lips as she felt hot breath wash over her body, and Vi's lips twitched into a grin. In an instant her teeth were nipping into the soft skin of Ellie's thighs, causing her to gasp out.

She felt Vi's fingers deftly loosing the claps on her armor and tugging her boots off. Her tongue continued to flick and probe along Ellie's thighs as more skin of her skin became exposed, and Ellie could do little more than gasp and pant in response. Vi sat up, panting hungrily as she hooked Ellie's leg over her hip. She braced herself against the heavy wooden headboard with her other hand, before slowly rolling her hips against Ellie's. She could see Ellie was biting her lip, attempting to stifle her gasps, and rolled her hips harder, causing a gasping moan to escape. Vi grinned once more, and trailed her hand up Ellie's side, quickly loosing each buckle and fastener along the way until every piece of armor was barely hanging on. Lastly, she slid her fingers under the edge of the circlet around Ellie's head, and tossed it to the side, allowing her pale blonde hair to fall freely into her face.

They held still for a moment, looking over the face of the other as a gentle breeze washed over them. Ellie flushed, averting her eyes first, only to be caught in a hungry kiss by Vi. Her hand was tangled in Ellie's short hair, and her tongue probed against Ellie's lips, begging for more. And Ellie was helpless against her.

All at once her composure crumbled. Her lips parted with a moan as she began to frantically pull armor pieces away from herself, tossing them haphazardly to the side. She would regret that later, but right now, she didn't care. Her underwear was already being tugged off by Vi, whose throaty moans had begun to mingle with Ellie's. Her hands began to trail back down Ellie's side, causing her to shiver as goosebumps cropped up in the wake of Vi's warm, rough hands. Soon those same hands found their way to her chest, and she arched her back into the caress. She whimpered and writhed as Vi's thumb meticulously circled her nipple, til it was achingly hard.

“Please, please...” Ellie gasped, her hands grasping at Vi's head, tangling in the long, crimson locks of hair that were spilling over her shoulders. “More...” There were no protests as Vi began to lick and kiss her way down Ellie's neck. She drug her tongue along Ellie's collarbone and nipped lightly at the top of her breasts, drawing another whimper from her lover's sweet lips. Before Ellie could plead once more, she felt the warmth of Vi's lips latch onto her.

Her tongue flicked over Ellie's nipple over and over as her hand drifted towards her other breast. Vi reveled in the feeling of Ellie's body squirming beneath her, of her skin growing flush in her hands. She felt Ellie's hands clutching at her body, unsure where they wanted to be, but always pulling her closer. Vi rolled her hips into Ellie's once more, causing them both to moan. She could feel how wet Ellie had grown, and felt a wave of desire wash through her once more.

The bed creaked as Ellie threw her head back. Vi had begun kissing, licking, and sucking on the soft skin just below her breasts, and it was driving her crazy. She attempted to squeeze her legs tightly together, to give herself some friction, but Vi grabbed her by the rear, keeping her hooked on her hips.

“Am I not giving you enough?” Vi's words drawled lazily. Ellie shuddered as Vi's deep voice thrummed through her chest.

“That's not... I mean.. I...” She bit her lip, not sure what she wanted to say. Vi chuckled and pulled Ellie's legs off of her as she slid down the bed. Ellie lifted her head to follow her movements, but threw it back once more as she arched into the bed. Vi's tongue was lapping up the wetness that coated her thighs hungrily, and Ellie felt herself tighten in response. The more she licked, the wetter Ellie became, until the bed had begun to grow damp and Ellie could feel it dripping down to her backside.

Just as it was becoming too much, she felt Vi's tongue slide inside of her. Her chest tightened as a moan ripped itself from her throat. She bucked her hips as she felt Vi's warm tongue carefully flick back and forth inside of her. She felt like she was burning up as her body grew hotter from every movement Vi made. Ellie lost track of time as a torrent of moans and gasps slipped through her lips.

Lost among them were Vi's own moans. With every twist of her tongue, Ellie grew more wet, and she could feel it dripping down her chin. Her own thighs were growing slick as she felt Ellie tighten around her probing tongue. She carefully trailed a finger up along the underside of Ellie's leg, causing a shiver to run through her pale body. She let her finger trail small circles just at the top of Ellie's inner thigh, before sliding it in alongside her thrusting tongue. Ellie gasped and bucked her hips, causing Vi to moan once more.

She worked her tongue and finger in tandem, thrusting in and out relentlessly. Both women were panting too hard to moan as they found their rhythm. With each thrust from Vi's tongue, Ellie's hips rolled forward. As her hips pulled back, Vi's finger curled up, sending shocks of pleasure crashing through her body. Vi lifted her head slightly, watching the way Ellie's cheeks had grown bright pink from her onslaught. She needed more.

Ellie gasped in a desperate breath as she felt Vi slide out of her. Her body quivered at the sudden cold, and she whimpered for more. She felt Vi's hands running along her legs before stopping at her hips. She lifted Ellie up slightly as she slid her bent leg just underneath her hips. She then straddled herself over Ellie, the muscles in her thigh quivering as she carefully lowered herself against Ellie.

They both moaned together as Vi began to slowly roll and grind her hips. Ellie had been worried that Vi wasn't getting enough, that she was the only one getting so turned on. But as she felt the wetness from Vi drip down her thighs to join her own mess of juices, she felt her fears alleviate.

Her delicate fingers snaked their way up over Vi's rippling abs to grasp her breasts. A growl rolled through Vi as she bucked her hips, the wetness between them growing hot and sticky as they writhed in pleasure. Ellie sat up, dragging her small tongue over Vi's erect nipples and gasping as she felt Vi shake in response. She could taste herself all over Vi, and that tangy sweetness made her light headed as she began sucking and licking aimlessly. A rumbling moan thrummed through Vi's chest as she gripped Ellie's knee, her thrusts becoming more desperate.

Soon they were both tangled in one another, neither of them with enough mind to know who was doing what anymore. Moonlight streamed through the curtains across their glistening bodies as they indulged in one another. Ellie clutched close to Vi as she felt herself growing close to climaxing.

“Vi...” she managed to gasp out before her lips were caught in a sloppy, hungry kiss. Vi's fingers slid down between the two of them, sliding into Ellie with each thrust of her hips, and driving her closer to that edge. Each moan brought another one Vi's fingers inside her. Ellie could feel herself coiling tightly around Vi as her third finger slid in. A cry of pure ecstasy burst out of her as she writhed into Vi's hand, into her wet embrace. Vi moaned in response, her hips writhing as well as the two women lost themselves.

Slowly, Ellie began to steady her breaths. She was still wrapped tightly around Vi, who was leaving breathy kisses all along her shoulders. Ellie shuddered and began to fall backwards into the bed, pulling Vi down with her. She stared up, panting, as she took in the beautiful hard lines of Vi's face. She gently wrapped her hand into Vi's hair and pulled her down into a kiss – a deep and satisfied kiss.

Vi pulled away, taking in a shaky breath as Ellie smiled and cupped her cheek. “I love you,” she murmured, running her thumb over the crest of Vi's cheekbones. Vi smiled and turned her head, planting a small kiss into the palm of Ellie's hand.

“And I you. Now,” she lowered herself to the side and pulled Ellie against her, “get some rest.” Ellie's eyes were already growing heavy as she was wrapped in Vi's warm embrace. She carefully nestled her leg back between Vi's knees, tangling their legs together as she drifted to sleep. Vi carefully covered them with a blanket from the side of the bed, before allowing sleep to overtake her.

-

Vi awoke with a shiver, and felt around for the covers. She found Ellie completely bundled in the covers, leaving her exposed to the unforgiving night air. Little was visible of the small hunter save her platinum hair that sprouted up from among the covers and her closed eyes. A warm chuckle bubbled its way out of Vi as she took the scene in. That warmth was quickly chased away, and she found herself shivering again.

“I know a good way to warm up,” she mumbled to herself as she swung her legs over the edge of the bed. She threw on a long, belted tunic and squinted around the room in the dim moonlight for her boots. One was by the door, where she had lost it in her rush for the bed. The other was sticking out from under Skitters, who was collapsed in front of the cold fireplace, snoring softly. She managed to free it with some careful maneuvering and slipped quietly out the door.

The bustle of the gathering hub immediately filled her senses – it was well into the evening, but that didn't stop the hunters from their work. Different monsters and other endemic life were active at different times, so there was always work to be done, and hunters to do it. The smell of freshly roasted meat drew Vi in as she made her way to the canteen set in the center of the deck, and waved one of the serving palicos over.

“Hey Violet – don't usually see you up at this hour!” A familiar voice cut through the din as a hunter wearing a fur trimmed cape sat in the seat next to her.

“Hello to you too, Barrett,” Vi yawned, taking the tankard of ale from the palico in front of her. “Get yourself kicked out of another expedition?”

Barrett clasped a hand to his chest in faux shock. “What? Me? I'll have you know I just returned from a very fruitful mission.”

“Oh yeah? And what fruits did this mission bear?” Vi asked, raising an eyebrow. Barrett grinned and spun around on his seat, digging into his bag. A low purr caused Vi to jump slightly, as his palico Leema began crawling into the seat on the other side of her. Just as Vi reached over to give the small felyne a scritch on the head, she heard a loud snort behind her that nearly caused her to fall off her seat. She whipped around and came face to face with a large mosswine head.

“Gah!” She cried, pulling back slightly and wrinkling her nose. “What the-” the mask began to shake gently as Barrett's muffled chuckles merged. He pulled the mask off, brushing his hair back as he grinned at Vi.

“One of the researchers needed help gathering some specific mushrooms. They said I could use this mask to help sniff them like the mosswine do. Told him I'd only do it if he let me keep the mask.” Barrett tapped the counter and soon another tankard was slid in front of them. Vi shook her head, draining the rest of her ale.

“I hope that wasn't your full payment,” she said, eyeing the uncanny headpiece that now lay flat on the counter. Barrett shook his head as he swallowed his drink.

“Nah, I'm not that dumb. This was just a bonus.”

“A great bonus. Goes perfectly with your flower.” Vi said mockingly, nodding towards the large flower-shaped horn that hung from his back. Barrett frowned as he followed her eyes.

“Now you're just being mean,” he pouted. Vi dropped her gaze, attempting to stifle the laugh that was rising in her chest.

“Sorry princess – didn't mean to insult your delicate sensibilities.” She lost the battle to contain her laughter as Barrett's shoulder collided with hers, nearly knocking her off her seat.

“Oh I'll show you delicate!” He snapped. He was grinning despite his harsh tone, and whistled for another round of drinks. Vi took a deep breath and wiped away the small tears that had begun to build in the corners of her eyes, a small chuckle still bubbling up every so often. “But seriously – why are you out so late?” Barrett asked, leaning an elbow on the bar.

“It gets cold when all your blankets get stolen in the middle of the night.”

“See – that's why I don't share my bed with anyone.” Barrett said with a solemn nod.

“Yeah,” Vi snorted. “That's why.”

“I'll have you know I have had many opportunities to bed many women and men. I can be quite suave when I care to be.” He drawled. Vi rolled her eyes and hid her grin in the mug of ale before her. Barrett tapped his nose for a moment before looking over. “You could always hook the blanket to the side of the bed so she couldn't pull them away.”

“I could,” Vi nodded, “But then I wouldn't have the chance to make fun of you.”

“Ah. Yes. That would be... truly... unfortunate.” Barrett mumbled as he took a drink. They sat silently for a time, enjoying the warm atmosphere of the canteen.

“So,” Barrett finally broke the peaceful silence, turning to face her. “Have you talked to Ellie yet?” Vi sighed and shook her head.

“No, not yet. It hasn't really come up...” She stared at the small bubbles that floated to the top of the amber colored liquid before her.

“I mean... it's not really going to unless you bring it up first.”

“I know,” Vi groaned, allowing her arms to spread over the counter as she drooped her shoulders. “She's just... so happy and excited here. I don't think she wants to think about that ending... and I'm not even ready for it to end yet.” She said glancing down at the woefully light coin purse on her hip. Barrett's eyes followed hers, and he frowned.

“Are you really having that much trouble with Zennie?”

“It seems to go out just as fast as it comes in. Between armor and weapon repairs, materials for expeditions...” She trailed off, frowning.

“How much do you need?” Barrett asked. After some consideration she shrugged.

“I don't know exactly. I just want to have enough to take care of us. I can't just ask her to stay with me if it means scrounging day to day.”

“You could.”

“I won't!” Vi snapped. Barrett didn't even flinch at the harsh response. Instead he seemed to be lost in thought, his finger tapping lightly on his nose again. She took the opportunity to down the rest of her ale and let out a frustrated sigh.

“I might... have a solution.” He said hesitantly. Vi raised an eyebrow and turned towards him. He glanced around, to see who was listening, before leaning in closer. “You remember that new area we discovered?”

“Elder's Recess?”

“Yeah. There's been traces all over of new monsters – Elder Dragons – that we've never seen.”

“Seriously?” Vi nearly jumped out of her seat, a wild grin on her face. Barrett grabbed her arms and pulled her back into her seat, shushing her.

“Keep it down!”

“Sorry,” she said sheepishly, glancing around. “But that's amazing. Why is it all so... secretive?”

“We don't know much about them, how dangerous they may be. And it's a concern because they're incredibly active. More than seems... normal. And we don't know why. They thought that killing Nergigante would fix things, but if anything they're... more active, now. It's throwing the local ecosystems into all sorts of chaos.” Vi nodded along slowly as he spoke, a frown tugging at the corner of her mouth.

“That's... exciting. But why are you telling me about this? What does this have to do with me?”

“The Admiral is putting together an elite team to find out what's going on, and hunt the elder dragons that are causing the problems. And the payout is huge.”

“How huge?” Vi asked, narrowing her eyes slightly as she waved for another ale. She had learned early in her career that hard numbers were better than vague descriptions... a lesson she had learned through much trial and error.

“For the whole mission?” Barrett grinned “Over 70,000 Zennie.”

Vi almost choked on the ale she was downing. Barrett clapped her on the back a few times as her sputtering coughs cleared up. She wiped her mouth and turned to him. “Is that... total? Across the whole party?”

“Each.” He said nonchalantly, picking up his ale. He drank it slowly as he watched her from the corner of his eyes. Vi sat there quietly for a moment.

“That's... How do I get onto this team?” She asked. Barrett grinned and elbowed her lightly.

“Lucky for you, I've already been asked to join. I'll just put in a good word for you.” He slid backwards off his seat as he finished off his ale.

“I... thank you, Barrett. Seriously.” Vi stood after him, tossing a voucher onto the counter.

“Hey – what are friends for?” He said with a warm smile, before pulling her into a hug. “Now, go get some sleep.”

Vi gripped his arm as they pulled away, and gave him a firm nod, before making her way back to her quarters, and the embrace of the woman she loved.

-

The door opened with the softest creak, and Vi winced. She slipped inside and shut it quickly, glancing to see if she had woken Ellie up. However, the bed was empty. She frowned and glanced around, before seeing Ellie sitting on a bench in the garden that opened into the room. She was carefully stroking the carapace of a large, midnight blue beetle that was perched neatly on her hand.

Vi leaned back against the door, a faint smile on her lips, as she appreciated the sight of Ellie wrapped loosely in their bed sheet, illuminated only by the dappled glow of the moonlight through the trees. She then pulled herself forward, slipping her boots off, and came to join her on the bench.

Ellie's eyes glanced back as Vi approached, and she carefully lifted her hand, allowing the beetle to spread its wings and find a perch in the tree. Vi straddled the bench and slid Ellie back against her before wrapping her arms around her thin waist.

“I woke up and you were gone,” Ellie said as she nuzzled back into Vi's embrace. “Having trouble sleeping?”

“Well someone was busy cocooning themselves in all the blankets.” Vi murmured into her hair as she began trailing light butterfly kisses up her neck.

“Oh... sorry.” Ellie flushed slightly and Vi chuckled.

“No, don't apologize. It's not that big of a deal. Besides,” She pulled back slightly, allowing Ellie to turn towards her some. “It proved quite fruitful.”

“Oh?” Ellie raised an eyebrow “How so?”

“I ran into Barrett, and-”

“Oh, Barrett! How is he?” Ellie interjected. Vi left her mouth open for a moment, before sighing.

“He's... fine. Can I continue?”

“Sorry... yes.”

Vi shook her head, biting her lip to keep from grinning. “Anyway,” she continued. “There's apparently a very special team being built to investigate some new findings.” Ellie's eyes were already wide.

“Oh! What kind of findings?”

“Elder Dragons,” Vi said with a smirk. Ellie gasped softly, gripping Vi's arm.

“Oh... oh! Oh, that's so exciting! And he's on it?”

“Well, yes. And, with a good word from him, we will be too.” Vi said, placing her hand over Ellie's. There was a moment as her sleepy mind processed, but soon Ellie's eyes were lighting up and she was practically bouncing.

“We're going to get to investigate new Elder Dragons?!” she could barely contain her glee. Vi's chest warmed at the sight and she smiled.

“Yes, love. We're going to be working directly with the Admiral to investigate and hunt never before seen Elder Dragons out in Elder's Recess.”

Ellie clasped her hands together as she shot up. “When? Do we need to get anything for the journey? Who else is on the team? I-”

Vi stood up and quickly took her by the shoulders, laughing softly. “Slow down – we can worry about that tomorrow. Tonight, we should finish getting some rest.”

Ellie glanced up at the bright moon overhead, opening her mouth to argue. Her argument soon became a yawn however, and she nodded with a sigh. Vi chuckled once more and scooped her up in her arms, carrying her to bed. Vi made sure to tuck the blanket under hip before drifting to sleep with Ellie wrapped in her embrace.


End file.
